Chapter 3: Trash Spirit Root

Chapter 3: The Worthless Spiritual Root

Perhaps it was because Hua Wu was with him that Chu Tianfeng’s luck wasn’t so bad this time. As soon as he stepped into Zhang Qiang’s temporary office, he happened to catch Zhang Qiang just as he was getting up to leave.

“Director Zhang!” Chu Tianfeng called out respectfully.

“Hello, Director Zhang!” Hua Wu’s greeting included one more word than Chu Tianfeng’s, but her tone was much more indifferent.

“Oh, hello to both of you.” Zhang Qiang found it a bit strange to see them both appear in his office at once, but quickly invited them to sit.

Then, not only did Zhang Qiang personally pour them each a glass of water, but he also asked, “Miss Hua, do you need something from me?”

It was the first time Chu Tianfeng had ever seen Zhang Qiang pour water for him, and he couldn’t help but silently grumble at the sight.

“He’s the one who needs you. I just came along for the ride,” Hua Wu said nonchalantly. But Zhang Qiang wasn’t a fool—he could easily hear the meaning beneath her words.

He knew perfectly well Hua Wu was “just along for the ride” to back Chu Tianfeng up.

“I heard there’s another water battle tomorrow night. I wanted to ask if I could participate in the performance,” Chu Tianfeng said, the request so long he had to speak slowly to avoid making mistakes.

“Oh, no problem. Director Yang was very satisfied with your performance last night. As long as you’re physically fine, I’ll fully support you,” Zhang Qiang replied, then turned to Hua Wu. “Right, Miss Hua?”

Hua Wu looked at Chu Tianfeng. “You were unconscious last night. Do you want to rest another day?”

Chu Tianfeng shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

Although her eyes and tone were full of concern, Chu Tianfeng knew it was all an act, a show put on for Zhang Qiang. He even thought she was a wasted talent not to become an actress.

“Xiao Chu, don’t push yourself too hard. Actually, I think you might need to rest more,” Zhang Qiang said earnestly. “You know, everyone cares about you.”

Care, my foot, Chu Tianfeng thought, resisting the urge to kick him.

He’d been seriously injured last night, and instead of sending him to the hospital, the crew had dumped him back in the dormitory. Was that what they called care?

Fortunately, he was fine. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hesitated to teach this bunch a lesson.

“Thank you, I really am fine,” Chu Tianfeng said, patting his chest for emphasis.

“Miss Hua, what do you think...” Zhang Qiang sought her opinion, but was actually shifting the responsibility onto her.

If anything happened, he could always blame Hua Wu.

Of course, she knew what he meant. After a moment’s thought, she finally nodded. “Alright.”

“As long as Miss Hua agrees.” Zhang Qiang stood and clapped Chu Tianfeng on the shoulder. “I’ll take you to see Director Yang at noon tomorrow. We’ll discuss the role together.”

“Thank you, Director Zhang.” Chu Tianfeng thanked him quickly.

With everything settled, Chu Tianfeng and Hua Wu took their leave and exited the temporary office.

“Be more careful in the future,” Hua Wu said, opening her parasol. “Remember to call my father.”

She spoke without even glancing at him.

“I know. Thank you.” Chu Tianfeng nodded.

The cell phones in this world amazed him. Ordinary people could make video calls over thousands of miles—more convenient and faster than any communication talisman, flying sword, or message jade used by cultivators.

“One more thing, try not to cause me any trouble,” Hua Wu said, turning around and donning her sunglasses. “I’m busy. Bye.”

Chu Tianfeng waved in farewell. The word “bye” he kept to himself, not speaking it aloud.

If possible, he sincerely hoped never to see Hua Wu again.

Of course, he wouldn’t call Hua Zhengjun either. He wasn’t the old Chu Tianfeng, and even if he were, he never called Hua Zhengjun before.

After she left, her slender figure disappearing into the sunset, Chu Tianfeng suddenly felt he might have been too harsh. Hua Wu had driven hundreds of kilometers just to see him, yet when it was time to eat, he hadn’t even invited her to dinner.

He wasn’t even as thoughtful as Zhang Qiang, who at least poured her a glass of water.

But thinking of his empty pockets, Chu Tianfeng felt not treating her to a meal was actually a wise decision. Otherwise, she’d probably end up paying, and he’d be subject to even more of her cold looks.

All of that was intolerable to him.

He’d finally reclaimed his self-respect. In his mind, what hung between his legs was not just a physical object, but a symbol—a symbol of a man’s dignity, inviolable.

As dusk fell, Chu Tianfeng had a quick dinner and made his way to the lakeside.

He found a secluded spot, stripped himself bare, and happily admired that thing between his legs as if appreciating a precious artifact—a treasure of the highest grade.

Afterward, he dove into the lake for a satisfying swim, scrubbing himself scrupulously clean.

He’d lived neither as man nor woman for over a thousand years, then spent decades more as a bodiless soul.

Now, not only did he have a body again, but he also had that piece of himself he'd longed for over a millennium.

It all felt like a dream—a nightmare, really.

Now that he’d awakened, everything returned to its origin.

It may have been a long dream, but at least it was over.

From now on, he could start over, live again, and be a man.

Of course, cultivation would have to begin from scratch as well.

There are many constraints in a cultivator’s practice.

The foremost is aptitude—what cultivators call their spiritual root.

There are five types of spiritual roots: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Additionally, there are three derived attributes: wind, lightning, and ice. Ice derives from water; wind and lightning both from water and fire.

The next crucial factor is cultivation technique.

Chu Tianfeng possessed a so-called divine-level technique: the Five Elements Formula.

He and Jin Daizi had risked their lives for it—it was the most secret legacy of the Five Elements Sect.

It was said to be an all-attribute technique, and its cultivation was as domineering as its results.

Then, of course, there are resources.

Cultivation, at its core, is all about resources—spirit stones and pills.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass, Chu Tianfeng silently recalled the Qi Refining chapter of the Five Elements Formula, attempting to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into himself through the Baihui acupoint atop his head, refining it into true essence, gathering it in his lower dantian, and circulating it through the minor heavenly cycle.

The minor heavenly cycle means circulating the true essence along the Ren and Du meridians, passing through nine key acupoints—a necessary step at the early stage of Qi Refining.

Other techniques require natural breathing and seated meditation. The Five Elements Formula differs: it allows seated, lying, or even walking meditation, though seated is best.

Furthermore, while other techniques draw spiritual energy in through either the Baihui acupoint on the head or the Laogong acupoint in the palm—but never both at once—the Five Elements Formula allows both simultaneously, and even from the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of the feet.

At first, Chu Tianfeng found this disconcerting, but after a few tries with no obstacles, he absorbed with confidence.

Each time his true essence completed a circuit, he would refine the spiritual energy entering through his Baihui acupoint, gathering more true essence in his lower dantian.

Over and over, his true essence grew stronger and more abundant.

The more robust his true essence, the faster it coursed through the Ren and Du meridians, quickening the absorption and refinement of spiritual energy.

Given that the Five Elements Formula draws in and refines all five elemental energies at once, the process should, in theory, be slow. Yet Chu Tianfeng found it anything but—his speed was astonishingly fast, far surpassing his previous life’s cultivation.

Bear in mind, in his last life he’d cultivated on Blue Moon Star, using a sky-grade technique!

It was only now that he understood Jin Daizi’s words had not been an exaggeration—the Five Elements Formula truly was heaven-defying.

He could even sense the spiritual energy gathering around him, swirling into a tiny vortex as he practiced, drawn into his body for refinement.

Spiritual energy, in fact, is negative ions accumulated between heaven and earth—detectable only with spiritual sense.

Spiritual sense is a kind of telepathic ability developed by cultivators, forming within the sea of consciousness in the mind.

Chu Tianfeng had just begun; his spiritual sense had yet to awaken. But with his previous experience, he could still recognize the feeling of spiritual energy entering the body.

After an hour and countless cycles, he discovered that his cultivation speed was indeed far faster than in his previous life—within just one hour, the true essence accumulated in his lower dantian was three or four times what he’d managed in the same period before.

And this was with the earth’s meager spiritual energy. Had he been on Blue Moon Star, his speed would be unimaginable.

He also discovered another problem.

The spiritual energy he refined into true essence fell into five distinct attributes, all stored in his lower dantian.

Normally, a cultivator’s spiritual root rejects spiritual energy of incompatible attributes, and even if a little is refined into true essence, it can't be stored.

If one could refine and store large amounts of all types, it would mean their spiritual root matched every attribute—a full-attribute or five-element root.

He could refine and store all types in abundance. That meant, nine times out of ten, his spiritual root was full-attribute—a five-element root.

This result was so unexpected he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The more attributes in a spiritual root, the worse the aptitude. The five-element root was known as the “worthless root,” the lowest of the low in Blue Moon Star’s cultivation world.

Some large sects, like the Five Elements Sect, wouldn’t even accept a five-rooted person as a menial disciple.

Had he been a five-root in his last life, Jin Ling wouldn’t have taken him in as a disciple—he wouldn’t even have qualified as a eunuch.

Fortunately, he had the Five Elements Formula now, and with his wealth of experience, a master was no longer necessary.

He couldn’t help but thank Jin Daizi once again.

He wondered how she was, whether she too had been reborn as smoothly as he.

He found himself missing her.